DOES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PAY - THE CASE FOR PROTEACEAE

This paper reports on the socio-economic impact of the Proteaceae technology development
and transfer programme. Farm level data were collected from the major role players in the
industry, including cultivators, harvesters, agents and nurseries. The five major production
regions were the Western Cape, South Western Cape, Southern Cape, Cape Peninsula and
Eastern Cape, but other small regions in the Republic of South Africa (RSA) were also
included in the study. Standard pretested mail questionnaires, supplemented with personal
interviews, were used. This paper reports the socio-economic impacts over the period 1974-
2005. Results show that the rate of return for the financial and economic analyses ranged
between seven and twelve percent, showing that the research programme is a profitable
investment to society. The Proteaceae programme contributed to the conservation of
biodiversity, had institutional impact in terms of training and technology transfer, while the
social impact was indicated by employment generation through R&D activities.